Rectangles for Hope

I am continuing to work on my story on local women in Muncie who are helping to make 6 x 9 Rectangles, and are sending hope to soldiers in hospitals throughout the US. 

This is one of the things that I love about being a reporter, I have the privilege to hear truly incredible stories. It is amazing how far one persons kindness can go. You can see the website at http://www.rectangle6x9.org/.


Deborah Starobin-Armstrong, started the organization and already it has helped to deliver more than 3,000 Afghans to soldiers. I was glad I stumbled upon this story I feel truly blessed to hear about how one person crocheting, is part of a big cause, of spreading hope, support, and love to complete strangers.


I hope this story will inspire others to get involved with HAP (Handmade Afghans to thank our armed forces Project), or to understand that a little kindness can go a long way to make the world a better place.


I leave you with this quote from Martin Luther King, as something to think about and perhaps something that will change your life if you will let it.


"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." ~Martin Luther King, Jr

My First Two Stories

Well, my first two stories have been published to the iPhone, and Black Berry users. It was really cool to see them on my iPod touch.

I think they turned out pretty well one was on the Heorot's 100 Beer Club and the other story I covered was about Halloween costumes. Both of the owners that I talked to were incredibly nice and have really interesting life stories.

My favorite thing about reporting is having the opportunity to meet complete strangers and here their stories.

This week I am working on an incredible story about a local group of Women that make 6 x 9 rectangles that are used to make afghans that are sent to soldiers in hospitals in the US.

Here is a link to the national website, http://www.rectangle6x9.org/ .

I am always amazed that one persons kindness and idea has an ability to change so many peoples lives.

I hope you enjoy the story as much as I an enjoyed hearing from the group of women from Yorktown.

100 Beer Club

Stan Stephens might be one of the coolest people I have ever interviewed. Wow what a story, he was a weight lifter, Social Studies teacher and a pizza delivery man all before he owned the Heorot. 

The bar has such a rustic feel, like your stepping into a time machine and when you enter the Heorot its like the mead hall in Beowolf. Stan spent the Friday afternoon showing me around his bar, and telling me some of the stories behind setting it up and creating the relatively unknown 100 Beer Club. A club for beer coinsures and armature beer drinkers alike, and in the end the prize is immortality or rather a plaque on the bar for as long as it is open. 

It is such a simple concept but, for customers it’s just one of many traditions that makes the Heorot so unique. If you’re looking for a different kind of bar with a wide beer selection of more than 400 then try the Heorot. 

It was the Best Week Ever

Well it truly was the Best Week ever, well for me at least. It was a long and stressful week but I am kind of sad that it is over. I was a member of the Homecoming steering committee that helped plan the week. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to work with some of the most talented students at Ball State.

The group of 16 students that made up the committee really did an amazing job of making it a homecoming I will never forget. I helped the committee in several ways. I was the technology chairman (I created a promo video and I will create a recap of the week), student organizations chairman ( I contacted all of 400+ student groups at Ball State) I was responsible for making sure they got all of the information they needed to get involved, and I was the athletic liaison and I helped to facilitate all of the request for Charlie Cardinal, Code Red, Cheerleaders, and the Football Coach. 

All and all the week was amazing and now I am ready to get some sleep and catch up on school. My interview for my first story got canceled today. However, I am looking forward to interviewing Stan Stephen, the owner of the Heorot later this week. 

My First Homecoming All-Nighter

Well its official, I pulled my first homecoming all-nighter. I received video from last years technology chair, Bernardo Madrigal, on Friday August 28th and I wanted to put together the promo video (located to the left above the youtube logo). 

I needed to finish the video before the fall information meeting on Wednesday September 2. I knew it would be challenging because it was a quick turnaround, not to mention I had hours and hours of footage to look through. 

So on Saturday I went to campus and tried to get into all of the editing labs. Apparently the card access I had last year, has to be redone every year, so here I am unable to capture the video that I need in order to finish the promo before Wednesday at 9pm. 

I had some free time in my schedule on Monday so I captured all of the footage that I needed. Then that night after most of my homework was done I began editing, I was able to get all of the individual day promo videos done by Tuesday at 8:00 am. 

I spent Tuesday packaging it all together and I am pretty happy with the end result (as you can see if you click the video box to the left). 

Thank you Bernardo without you the video would never have been possible. I plan to shot all events during the week and have video updates available every night online. While Tuesday was my first homecoming all-nighter I have a feeling it will not be my last. 


Get Ready because it's the end of September and that means one thing it's time..... for the "Best Week Ever" Ball State Homecoming 2009. 


-Peter Carr
Student Organizations / Technology Chair / Athletic Liaison

iMedia

My name is Peter Carr and I am a senior Telecommunications major at Ball State University.

I am really excited to be a part of the iMedia program at Ball State. The first project that I have been assigned is the cardinal green way. I have ridden my bike on the greenway three times in the last week and I plan on shooting video of the greenway in the near future.

The trail is a wonderful mix, of nature and a long path for bike riding, running and rollerblading.

My paterner Becky and I have big plans for how to use interactive maps for a moblie appilcation for the greenway. Also we would like to create a weather alert to warn riders or walkers when a storm is coming and where they can find shelter along the trail.

I still waiting to hear back from the trail's director, so I can setup and interview and find what locations on the trail we should showcase in our interactive map with video and photos.

I am really excited to see how the project comes together. The coolest thing about the iMedia class is working with students from so many differnt disiplines to achieve one common goal.

And Then there was 2!!!

Wow I can't believe how fast this summer has gone. I mean it seems like yesterday I was celebrating the forth of July in Tampa with my family and now school starts in about two weeks.

That means the Best Week Ever is less than two months away. After the committees summer meeting in Muncie (followed by an awesome game of laser tag), I have spent all of my free time learning a graphics program known as After Effects.

It has taken me over a week to learn it, but today I created my first intro video, I have not put music with it yet but I think its really cool. In fact I posted it on the Facebook group the video is for the first day of events known as Chirp Factor. The video may seem small its only five seconds long but it took a while to create all of the layers of video that go into it's graphics.

I think I am going to move some of my things into my Fraternity house this weekend. That is the Sigma Chi house at the end of riverside. I am excited to get back up to BSU, I have missed it this summer, and can't wait to see all of my great friends and to begin talking to student groups about all the opportunities they have to participate in Homecoming.

Anyways I have to get back to working on graphics for "BSU's got Talent" of the talent search on Tuesday night of Homecoming.

I am really excited to be a part of the group that is going to make this years homecoming the "Best Week Ever".

Peter Carr

Homecoming Steering Committee 
Student Organizations / Technology Chair / Athletics Liaison